4

Marco and I walked into the room together, and I saw that my things were already there. I stood still, feeling unsure about everything—the situation, Marco's intentions now that we were alone. I glanced at him and saw him loosening his tie, with the top buttons of his shirt undone, giving me a slight peek at his chest. I took a deep breath, the memory of seeing him shirtless flooding my mind. Shaking my head, I reminded myself that now wasn't the time for those thoughts. But what did Marco do? He left the next morning, like nothing happened.

Marco sat down on the edge of the bed, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the veins in his forearms were visible as he moved.

"What are you doing, Maddie? Come here. We have unfinished business," he said, motioning for me to come over.

Nervously, I walked toward him, my heart pounding. Marco had this way of being intimidating with his cold, dark expression. Actually, I guess that's just his usual look—he only has two expressions.

When I finally stood in front of him, he gently pulled me closer, inviting me to sit on his lap.

I don't think of myself as a coward, even though I had some pretty bad stuff happen to me as a kid that can trigger me sometimes. But there are two people in my life who make me feel small and powerless—Papa and Marco. When they’re around, I just go along with whatever they want because I know it’s easier than fighting it, and I’ll probably pay for it if I don’t.

Marco's hand slid up and down my side, getting close to my underboob, and I felt embarrassed that I didn’t stop him.

“I have three rules in this house,” he whispered in my ear, his breath warm against my cheek as his hand moved down to my neck. I could smell his cologne, and it made me feel even more tense.

I nervously played with my fingers, feeling like a kid waiting for directions, scared I might mess up.

“First, you obey,” Marco said firmly. “Second, you follow without question. And third, you never… ever defy me.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I did defy him. Would it be like the punishments my father used to give? Maybe there wasn’t much difference between the two of them.

“Got it?” His voice was calm, but there was something threatening in it.

I nodded without thinking, not really having any other choice. If I disagreed, I knew it would be the start of trouble.

His hand moved up my side again, this time getting higher. I couldn’t help but close my eyes and let out a soft moan. Then I bit my lip, realizing I didn’t mean to react like that.

I could tell my face probably wasn’t giving the right impression, so I looked at Marco, but I couldn’t really control my expression. His touch was making me shiver in ways I couldn’t ignore.

“Maddie, do you have any questions?” he asked.

Just hearing my name from his lips made my whole body tingle. I felt desire rush through me, and I instinctively gripped my thigh.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to meet Marco's cold, unflinching gaze. It was like he was impossible to read, like nothing could shake him.

Marco wasn’t just good-looking; he was on another level. Words didn’t even seem to do him justice. He radiated confidence, sexiness, and raw masculinity. I'd been pursued by guys before, but none of them came close to Marco.

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and the moment I said them, I regretted it: “Are you leaving again?” 

I noticed him raise an eyebrow, clearly not happy with my question.

“What do you mean?” Marco's hand stayed on my waist, and my heart was beating so fast, I wondered if he could hear it.

“I mean, like last time... are you just gonna leave without saying anything? I just want to know so I won’t be blindsided.” I asked because it hurt when he disappeared without a word. Waking up to find out he was gone left me with a million questions—was it me? Would he come back? I just wanted Marco to at least say goodbye if he planned to leave again.

He stared at me for a long moment before responding, “The next time I leave, you’re coming with me. And if not, I’ll make sure you know in advance.”

Hearing that made my face light up, and I felt a rush of happiness. It was just a simple thing to say, but it meant everything to me.

I didn’t even realize I was smiling at him until I caught myself. Quickly, I stopped the smile and bit my lip to keep from grinning even more.

Marco’s eyes dropped from mine to my lips, where I’d been nervously nibbling. I felt my breath catch as he stared at them. Without thinking, I stopped biting my lip, leaving it slightly parted.

I couldn’t help but glance at his lips too. I saw a tiny cut from when I’d accidentally bitten him earlier, and I had this sudden urge to touch it, to trace the edge of it. But I hesitated, unsure of how far I could go with Marco.

Then, to my surprise, Marco leaned in, his eyes still fixed on my lips. My heart started pounding harder as he got closer, and I accidentally bit my lip again.

I heard him let out a low, almost inaudible groan. And then, before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my neck and pulled me toward him, kissing me fiercely. The kiss was hot and hungry, completely different from the softer ones he’d given me at Papa’s house.

I moaned and clung to his shirt as his kiss took over. It felt like he was pulling me in, consuming me.

His tongue lightly brushed my lips, exploring every inch. When I parted them, he didn’t hesitate and deepened the kiss, his tongue finding mine.

I just gave in to the feelings running through me. There was no point in resisting—I’d been feeling this weird ache for a while now.

"Hmm..."

I decided not to bite Marco's lip again, not wanting to mess up the moment like I had earlier.

His hands moved from my shoulders down to my chest, and he kissed me even deeper as his hand slipped under my clothes.

The way he touched me sent chills through my body. I broke the kiss and arched my back, giving him access to my neck, which he kissed and sucked on. The sound of him doing that filled the room.

My breathing got faster, and my nails dug into him. Even though nothing much had really happened yet, I felt like I was already losing control.

I was way too sensitive.

"Marco…"

Saying his name felt like I’d given him the go-ahead. Marco picked me up and laid me on the bed, never breaking the kiss. I moaned as we got more caught up in the heat of the moment.

He lifted my left leg and propped it up a little when suddenly, his phone rang.

Marco stopped kissing me, but he didn’t pull away completely. He closed his eyes for a second, then grabbed his phone.

I felt a wave of disappointment and embarrassment. I couldn’t believe I’d actually said his name, and now I was second-guessing myself.

"What's wrong?" Marco answered the call without even acknowledging who it was.

He sighed heavily, trying to pull himself together, which just made me feel even more deflated.

"I’ll be there soon," he said, ending the call before turning back to me. I sat on the bed, not saying anything, just watching him.

I could tell he needed to leave; his words made that pretty clear.

"I need to go. I’ll be back later."

I just nodded, not knowing what else to say. I couldn’t stop him; he probably had something at work that needed his attention.

"Take care," I said.

Marco was about to leave when I noticed something.

"Marco!" I called out. He turned back, and I walked over. But as I reached for him, I saw him pull away. "You’ve got lipstick on your lips."

I pointed to my own lips to show him where the mark was.

Marco just stood there, not even trying to wipe it off. "Do it," he said. "You were gonna clean it up, right? So go ahead."

His words caught me off guard, especially since I thought he didn’t want me to touch him earlier. I nodded, hesitantly brushing my finger over his lips to wipe away the lipstick. The way he was staring at me made me nervous.

"All done," I said, stepping back. But he kept staring at me, not looking away.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I’ll see you tonight," he said, turning to leave. I heard him sigh as he walked out.